Home confinement possible for ex-Niles mayor

By Lisa BlackJanuary 19, 2011

Convicted former Niles Mayor Nicholas Blase, 82 and now living in a halfway house in Chicago, could soon qualify for home confinement because of his age after serving time in a Minnesota federal prison.

Federal Bureau of Prisons officials confirmed Blase left the federal penitentiary in Duluth on Dec. 23.

Blase, mayor of the north suburban village for nearly 50 years, was sentenced in January 2010 to one year and one day in prison for his conviction in a kickback scheme that involved him steering local businesses to a friend’s insurance company. He resigned before pleading guilty to mail and tax fraud.

Blase is due to complete his sentence on March 2 but could qualify for home confinement before then, federal prisons spokesman Chris Burke said. Blase’s age could factor in to whether that’s allowed.

“Personally, I will be happy to see him back home,” Niles Village Manager George Van Geem said Wednesday. “I think he’s paid his dues.”

He credited Blase with helping shape Niles into one of the “best places to raise kids,” a designation announced by Bloomberg BusinessWeek this month.

Before starting his prison term, the former mayor paid about $1 million in restitution, including $750,000 to Niles schools, and apologized for his actions in court, his supporters note.

At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Wayne Andersen said Blase deserved prison for his crimes but also said he didn’t want to see Blase die in jail.

A woman contacted at Blase’s Niles home declined to talk about his move to a halfway house or when she expected him to return home.

“I don’t really know too much about it,” she said.

Last September, the Village Board voted 4-3 to keep Blase’s name on a sign outside Village Hall, with supporters saying that he had done more good than bad for the community. Officials expect that he will continue to receive mixed reviews upon his return to Niles.

“There will be people in the community that will turn their back on him and won’t be able to forgive him,” Van Geem said. “I am not one of those people.”